Means for securing printing plates to their cylinders



Feb. 2, 1954 T. R. ZIEBELL 2,667,832

MEANS FOR SECURING PRINTING PLATES TO THEIR CYLINDERS Filed NOV. 2, 1951 5 W/VA 'd I! J JE. 7

INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 2, 1954 MEANS'FOR SECURING PRI'N T-IN G PLATES TO THEIR CYLINDERS .Theodore R. Ziebel l, Milwaukee,.Wis., assignorto C. B; Cottrell & S o ns Company, 'Westerly R. 1., .a corporation ofDelaware Appiication November 2, 1951; SerialjNo.1254,5 63

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to means for securing printing plates to their cylinders.

In plate securing means used in high speed rotary presses where the plate hooksnare .propelled along the cylinder grooves to and from their plate engaging positions by worm gears carried by the hooks and engaging the cylinder racks, the cylinder racks frequently become worn and broken because of the necessarily limited engagement of only one or two of the teeth of the worm gears with the teeth of the cylinder racks.

This invention is directed to means for overcoming these rack failures by providing, a plate hook comprising coacting stationary and movable members, the stationary member having a row of teeth for extended engagement with the teeth of a cylinder rack to prevent endwise movement of the stationary member; thejaw carrying movable member being slidable along the stationary member to secure the plate to its cylinder.

This invention is also directed to novel featuresof construction whereby the manuallyoperated adjusting screw which connects the stationaryand movable hook members is .rotatably mounted against endwise movment. inthe movablehook member and has a screw threadedengagement with the-stationary member.

This invention is also directed to a plate hook in which gearing is provided for operatively connecting the adjusting screw with aremovable key or other suitable instrument.

A practical embodiment of my invention; is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a detail plan view showing a portion of printing plate secured to'its cylinder;

Fig. 2 represents a similar view on a much larger scale;

Fig. 3 represents a detail longitudinal section taken in the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 represents a detail cross section taken in the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 represents a detail cross section taken in. the plane of the line 5-5 ofFig; 2;

Fig. 6 represents a side view of akey suitable for use in operating the movable hook member Lil i a p a e enga a 19 se u ins-i e plate-on the cylinder -u nder;compr ession. -This ,movablemeznber 1"! has a longitudinal bottom groov 1 h ch hou e th s tiQ a -memb it; the .Saiid-walls-of the said fOove slidablyenees he sidew l fv t e t on r memb h m nu l vfi e m a fo sli ab holding the moyable v member I? in its cylinder groove I2 is shown as a pair of turnable double w need oc s 1 kmQuI t Q ne th ends of t a d movabl rm mberand a an ed t a -n intoand out of the small grooves -22 along the v side walls of the cylindergroove I2. The turnable 1001 2l isiormedintegral with the plate engaging jaw-i9. The turnablelock 20 1s shown as having an angular bore;23-for receiving the shank 2 3 of a suitable keyed-for.turningthe said look into and out of itssliding engagement with the sidegrooves .22.

The. turnable lock .2 l of; the combined jaw and lock.- i9,'.2l: may be turnedintoand out of sliding engagement with theside o e W a ually; turningthe jaw 19.

' Theusualspring pressed balls 26,11. may-be employed to: frictionally-engage the locks- 20. and

.-2i-..to .yieldingly holdsthem. intheir. withdrawn and :extended.v positions.

i The=manually operated means-for sliding .the

movab1e hook member along the stationaryhook member lfi which is housed therein isconstructed, arranged. and operated as follows:

An adjusting screw 28 operativelyconnects the two hookmembers It, IL the headofthesaid .screw being rotatably' mounted against endwise movement in the movable member .I? and the threaded shankof thesaid screw beingpassed through and having a screw threaded. engagement with the stationary member. l6 of the said hook withinsaid bottom groove 11*.

" *Theadjusting screw 28 has integral therewith a -bevel= gear m whichmesheswith a bevel gear -30 -,-'w-hose' shank is rotatablymounted in the en- 3 larged portion of the axial bore 3| through the combined jaw and lock 19, 2|. This bevel gear 30 has a small axial angular bore 32 for receiving the shank 33 on key 25 which may be inserted through the bore 30 into said bore 32 for turning the bevel gear 30.

In operation, the plate hooks are inserted into the cylinder grooves 12 in proper positions to cause the rows of teeth 18 of the stationary hook member IE to bring the plate jaws I9 carried by the movable hook member I! into close proximity to the bevel edges I5 of the printing plate [4. The jaw [9 of each plate hook may then be turned to cause its double winged lock 2| to slidably engage the side grooves 22. The shank 24 of the key 25 may then be inserted into the angular bore 23 to turn the double winged lock 20 to also slidably engage the side grooves 22. The shank 33 of the key 25 may then be inserted into the angular bore 32 of the gear 30 to turn it and its meshing gear 29, which is integral with the adjusting screw 28, and thereby cause the screw, because of its threaded engagement with the stationary hook member 16, to slide the movable hook member I? along the stationary hook member 16 to bring the bevel edge of the plate hook jaw 19 into engagement with the bevel edge I5 of the plate I4 to hold the plate firmly on the cylinder under compression. It will be understood that while the plate holding means is herein shown and described in association with a curved printing plate and a spirally grooved cylinder, the plate holdin means may be employed in connection with plates and their bases of any character within the scope of this invention.

It is evident that various changes may b resorted to in the construction, form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention and hence it is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiment shown and described herein.

What I claim is:

1. A cylinder having spaced grooves, a printing plate and a plate hook, said plate hook comprising a stationary member having means for locking it in a cylinder groove against endwise movement, a movable member having a longitudinal bottom groove housing the stationary member, a plate engaging jaw carried by the movable member, a screw located in said bottom groove and operatively connecting the two members and a manually operated gearing for rotating the screw to slide the movable member along the stationary member housed therein for securing the plate on its cylinder.

2. A cylinder having spaced grooves, a printing plate and a plate hook, said plate hook comprising a stationary member having means for locking it in a cylinder groove against endwise movement, a movable member having a longitudinal bottom groove housing the stationary member, a plate engagin jaw carried by the movable member, a screw located in said bottom groove and rotatably mounted against endwise movement in the movable member and threaded into the stationary member, a gear integral with said screw, and a manually operated meshing gear carried by the movable member for rotating the screw to slide the movable member along the stationary member housed therein for securing the hook on its cylinder. 7

3. A cylinder having spaced grooves, a print ing plate and plate hook, said plate hook comprising a stationary member having means for locking it in a cylinder groove against endwise movement, a movable member having a longitudinal bottom groove housing the stationary member, a plate engaging jaw carried by the movable member, means for slidably holding the movable member in its groove, a screw located in said bottom groove and operatively connectin the two members and a manually operated gearing for rotating the screw to slide the movable member along the stationary member housed therein to secure the plate on its cylinder.

4. A cylinder having spaced grooves, a printing plate and a plate hook, said plate hook comprising a stationary member having means for looking it in a cylinder groove against endwise movement, a movable member having a longitudinal bottom groove housing the stationary member, a plate engaging jaw carried by the movable member, means for slidably holding the movable member in its groove, a screw located in said bottom groove and rotatably mounted against endwise movement in the movable member and threaded into the stationary member, a gear integral with the said screw and a manually operated meshing gear for turning the screw to slide the movable member along the stationary member housed therein for securing the plate on its cylinder.

5. A cylinder having spaced undercut grooves provided with toothed racks, a printing plate and a plate hook comprising a stationary member having a row of teeth for extended engagement with one of said racks for locking it against endwise movement in one of said cylinder grooves, a movable member having a longitudinal bottom groove housing thestatlonary member and provided with two manually turnable locks for slidably holding the hook in its cylinder groove, a plate engaging jaw carried by one of the said locks, and key operated means for sliding the movable member along the stationary member housed therein to secure the plate on its cylinder, said key operated means comprising a screw located in said bottom groove and operatively connecting the two members, a gear integral with the screw and a key engageable meshing gear carried by one of the locks.

6. A cylinder having spaced undercut grooves provided with toothed racks, a printing plate and a plate hook comprising a stationary member having a row of teeth for extended engagement with one of said racks for locking it against endwise movement in one of said cylinder grooves, a movable member having a longitudinal groove housing the stationary member and provided with two manually turnable locks for slidably holding the hook in its cylinder groove, a plate engaging jaw carried by one of the said locks, and key operated means for sliding the movable member along the stationary member housed therein to secure the plate on its cylinder, said key operated means comprising a screw located in said bottom groove and operatively connecting the two members, a gear integral with the screw and a key engageable meshing gear carried by the combined lock and jaw.

7. A printing plate hook comprising a stationary member having means for locking it in a plate cylinder groove against endwise movement therein, a movable member having a longitudinal bottom groove housing the stationary member and provided with two manually turnable locks and a plate engaging jaw combined with one of said looks, a screw located in said bottom groove and operatively connecting the two members, a gear integral with the screw, and a key engageable meshing gear rotatably mounted in said combined jaw and lock.

3. A printing plate hook comprising a stationary member provided with a row of teeth for extended engagement with a plate cylinder groove rack to lock the stationary member against endwise movement therein, a movable member having a longitudinal bottom groove housing the stationary member and provided with two manually turnable locks and a plate engaging jaw combined with one of said locks, a screw located in said bottom groove and operatively connecting the two members, a, gear integral with the screw, and a key engageable meshing gear rotatably mounted in said combined jaw and lock.

THEODORE R. ZIEBEIL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Storm Jan. 2, 1906 Miehle Dec. 11, 1906 Andrews July 18, 1911 Rockstroh Dec. 12, 1916 Pitt et a1. Aug. 3, 1920 Brugmann Mar. 1, 1927 Sweet Dec. 10, 1940 Meyer Mar. 22, 1949 

